Pallet House Questions - We Got Answers After Days of Asking
Friday, March 01, 2024
The pallet house campus now being completed in Providence is the first effort by city and state officials to provide this type of small individual housing for the homeless.
This strategy has successfully been implemented in other communities around the country using both pallet homes and tiny homes.
The 45 initial houses are located off of Victor Street — located between the Foxy Lady adult club and the highway. The development is called ECHO Village.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTOn Tuesday, GoLocal unveiled the first-year cost of the program and the ongoing program budget. The cost to purchase the homes, prepare the site, operate the facility and provide services is just over $66,000 per unit. In future years, the annual cost of operation is expected to be about $22,222 per unit.
But, Governor Dan McKee’s Office of Housing repeatedly refused to answer two questions that dozens of readers had raised. Now, after three days of asking Housing Secretary Stefan Pryor’s office for answers, GoLocal has now received responses.
Are Homeless Veterans Given Priority?
The short answer is no. Despite efforts by Congress to compel the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to prioritize homeless veterans, the Rhode Island Office of Housing said that this project does not fall under that requirement. The federal dollars supporting this program are from HUD's Community Development Block Grants (CDBG).
There is no requirement that CDBG funds be prioritized for veterans.
“There is no specific prioritization for veterans accessing a shelter bed in the pallet community,” said Patti Doyle, a spokesperson for Housing.
According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, 13% of the homeless adult population are veterans.
In 2023, the VA reported that 35,574 veterans experienced homelessness on any given night in January 2023. This was a 7.4% increase from 2022. There is no specific number available for the number of homeless veterans in Rhode Island.
State Senator Jake Bissaillon (District-1), who represents the area where the pallet community is located, said, "ECHO Village is a critical component of our state’s response to our housing crisis. Decades of neglect and poor housing policy have led to short housing supply, which has resulted in skyrocketing home prices, increased rents, and too many of our neighbors being left unhoused."
Will Pallet Houses Be Used to Home Undocumented Immigrants?
The Office of Housing would not rule out that the homes could be used for undocumented immigrants who are homeless.
“Based upon pre-existing demand in the system, the way CES works, and other factors, it is very much expected that these pallet homes will mainly serve Rhode Island residents who need shelter and are not undocumented,” said Doyle.
The reference to CES is the Rhode Island Coordinated Entry System — a non-profit that the Office of Housing has outsourced the process. The CES works in partnership with Crossroads.
The head of Crossroads recently resigned. Karen Santilli, the outgoing CEO, received a compensation package in excess of $345,000 annually, according to tax documents filed by Crossroads for 2022.
She is taking the position of CEO of the Greater Providence YMCA.
Pryor's office said it envisions that 75% or more of the pallet houses will be utilized by those who live in the immediate area.
Bissaillon said, "Nowhere has the impact of our failed approach been felt more than in our urban core. The issue was brought front and center last summer as our community struggled with the Charles Street encampment crisis. I am hopeful that Smith Hill, which has always been a welcoming community for individuals seeking refuge, will be an example of how to lead on providing shelter and support to Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness. Since our community has taken a leadership role on this issue, I hope priority will be given to placing our neighbors already experiencing homelessness in Providence in the proposed ECHO Village."
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